Today is Friday, March 7, 2025.
It is the 66th day of the year.
299 days remain.
WHAT’S ON TAP
NOTABLE & NOTEWORTHY: NASA squeezes the last juice out of the Voyager probes.
BLAKE LIVELY and JUSTIN BALDONI’s lawyers face off over text messages and an update on JUSTIN BIEBER’s former “assistant.” More in SHOWBIZ
LESTOR HOLT’s replacement is announced and PIERCE BROSNAN considers the idea of reprising his Bond role. Details in CASTING CALL.
Newfound romantic sparks in the House of Sussex. Details in ROYALS
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SAM BANKMAN-FRIED’s media tour continues, giving an interview to TUCKER CARLSON. In the nearly 45-minute discussion, SBF dishes on life behind bars and continues to assert his prosecution and conviction was a politically-motivated hatchet job by the Biden-era Department of Justice. Some highlights:
– Pre-packaged, saran-wrapped muffins are the currency of the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. SBF says he hoards but doesn’t eat the muffins; instead, he opts for beans and rice and ramen noodles.
– SBF’s neighbor in the same cell block is SEAN COMBS, who he calls “kind.” He passes the time by playing chess with other inmates, who excel at the strategy game, even without a formal education.
– On a darker note, SBF said he’ll be in his late 40s when he gets out of prison under the best-case scenario but isn’t sure he’ll make it that long. He says studies show inmates age three times more quickly when behind bars.
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As the twin Voyager probes continue their journeys into deep space and transmit data, NASA continues its efforts to maintain their operability. Last week, the Jet Propulsion Lab deactivated Voyager 1’s system to detect cosmic rays. In a few weeks, they’ll shut down an instrument that detects low-energy particles on Voyager 2.
Both launched in 1977 and have since become the two farthest human-built objects from Earth.
These proactive measures will conserve an ever-dwindling energy supply. Reps for NASA say either could stop functioning or communicating at any moment. [via Space.com]
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Thursday’s virtual hearing about BLAKE LIVELY’s request for a stronger protective order saw her attorneys ask that private texts with celebrity pals and medical records be protected amid the ongoing legal battle with “It Ends With Us” director JUSTIN BALDONI.
“There are 100 million reasons for these parties to leak information because the PR value is greater than complying with the court’s orders,” Lively’s defense team argued.
In response, Baldoni’s lawyer said the order would “unjustly treat celebrity people” and “people who are powerful in the industry” differently from other people while also noting that releasing medical records was never on the table.
A ruling was not made on the matter during the hearing.
MEANWHILE: The full case goes to trial in March 2026. [via Daily Mail]
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FOLLOW UP: It turns out JUSTIN BIEBER’s assistant was fired years ago and didn’t just quit this week.
The revelation comes amid reports that Mateo Caldas recently exited his job working for Bieber due to concerns over his recent erratic behavior.
Insiders say the Caldas was actually given the boot about five years ago and wasn’t even technically his assistant, but just oversaw Bieber’s L.A. estate. [via TMZ]
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TOM LLAMAS will take over the “NBC Nightly News” seat left vacant by LESTER HOLT.
The 45-year-old, who has been with NBC since 2021, confirmed the news by reposting an article from the network, while calling the gig a “profound honor.”
Holt anchored the news program for a decade. He announced his departure last month. [via Page Six]
MEANWHILE: At MSNBC, a new vice president for newsgathering, SCOTT MATTHEWS, is building a new team in apparent anticipation of the network being sold off entirely.
According to Variety, Matthews is hiring a new assignment desk plus new producers and reporters. The staffup follows a recent reshuffling of the primetime lineup and the production teams behind the cameras. [via Variety]
UP NEXT: MILLIE BOBBY BROWN’s real middle name, hope for “Frasier” fans, HUNTER BIDEN’s new cash crunch, and a major Oscars achievement on this date in history.
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